Highgear Enduro Axio Altimeter Watch
June 30, 2009
It’s no secret I am not a tech whiz, but it is a mystery how I end up reviewing all the tech stuff that comes our way. I rarely wear a watch and tend to just flat out not care about things like my heart rate, the altitude, how long it took me to do something, or, oh yeah – the time. I don’t have an odometer on my bike, I have never timed a hike or climb, and my answer to “how high is this mountain” is usually “who cares?” I’m just not one of those tech-addicted, number-obsessed people. I am not going to tell you a mountain is not a mountain because it’s only X meters away from some other mountain, or run home to mark on a map the latest choss pile I climbed, or bang out a long dramatic blog post about how far I ran that day. I mean, it’s all just so randomly inane and fussy.
Numbers just don’t matter to me. So it’s pretty funny that Enduro’s latest offering has really won me over. I was so stoked with this gadget’s cute look, ease of use, cool altimeter, and well-fitting wristband that I actually checked the time before and after my ride, AND monitored the altitude the whole time! I have to admit it’s kind of fun to see whether the pressure is dropping, and just how high you’ve climbed. It’s rare for a tech watch to actually fit a small-boned wrist, and the Axio fits great, with room to spare for those tiny, tiny people. The watch face is a reasonable size; not one of those gigantic watch faces the size of a frisbee. You can wear this watch and still look cute; it’s classy enough to make the transition to social use. Now, admit it, you know it looks ridiculous when people wear enormous dive watches out to dinner or to the movies. It’s like a billboard, “Look at me! I’m outdoorsy!” If you really need to advertise your hobbies, you probably want a more in-your-face style of watch. This one is streamlined, pretty, and subtle.
The device seems very intuitive; I could figure stuff out without the instructions. This is a big deal, everyone. I usually can’t figure out how to manipulate the controls and then give up after a few minutes, and end up wearing a beer can-sized watch with the wrong time and with a billion wasted functions. This one, I got, though. I got the time figured out and was able to find the altimeter with just a few button pushes. Now that I’ve read the directions, I’m more confused than I was before, so I recommend going with the “intuition” method. There are a ton of functions – I was keen to see that there’s even a little weather forecast icon! Too bad it didn’t have a ‘thunderstorm’ picture, because that’s what I got stuck out in, but it did warn me clouds were coming. It also has a compass, which is pretty neat, although that requires calibrating which is too much work for me. There’s also a data function for those who want to track their total altitude, and many, many alarms, including a hydration alarm for people who can’t figure out if they’re thirsty. OK folks, I draw the line there. I like playing with the functions on this watch, but if you really need your watch to tell you to drink, you must put down the technology and back away slowly.
So I’ll never use the hydration alarm, but this watch has converted me into a watch-wearer. I love the look and the fit, and the ease of access to all the functions. If only all electronics were this easy and attractive!
Tech40 Accelerator Pulse Watch
April 22, 2009
Everyone thinks that being a Geargal means you’re an expert on anything and everything that has anything remotely to do with gear. I’m not going to argue with that assumption. Just kidding – there’s some gear that I know, and some gear I don’t know. I’m not particularly techy nor am I particularly interested in becoming more techy, but since tech is novel for me, I was really excited about trying Tech40’s watch with heart rate monitor function. I don’t even so much have an odometer on my bike, so I’ve no idea what my heart rate is, can be, or should be, and I figured this cool gadget would help me learn more about how to manage my heart rate.
Sadly, I could not get the heart rate function working for the LONGEST time. My assumption that my lack of tech savvy was to blame kept me fooling around with the device way longer than I should have. Finally I mentioned my troubles to the Tech4o folks, who advised me to replace the battery in the heart rate strap (duh), and once I did I had no problem syncing everything up. Sheeeeeesh. When in doubt, ask.
I have to admit that once I got the heart rate function working, I promptly lost interest in tracking my heart rate and stoppped using that function (again: I am not techy), but at least I know it works and for any of my readers who are really into counting their heart beats: you can count heartbeats any which way with this gadget. Max, average, resting, etc. etc. So if you’re into that, you can strap in and start gathering data about your speed, distance, heart rate, exertion, and your deepest emotions while you work out, and then run home and download all of it into a spreadsheet to chortle over. Last summer a runner here in Alaska got charged by a bear and he was all sorts of tickled about how his heart rate monitor recorded the adrenaline spike in the form of a new max heart rate. Seriously, it was in the paper and everything. You have to be a real tech nerd to make news with your new max heart rate. Anyway, so if you want to know what your heart rate is after being charged by a bear, the Accelerator Pulse can help out.
Other functions include a stopwatch, and, well, a clock. There’s also something called a chronograph that evidently is good for 50 laps, a lap timer, an alarm, a split time clock, and some other geeky stuff. There are so many buttons to press that you will never get bored. I admit that it’s probably a little too stuffed full of features for the non-tech set, but for you runners and racers this gadget has you covered. Since this is a women’s blog, I do have to mention that the heart rate strap might be a bit inconvenient for ladies whose cups spilleth over, so to speak. I wonder if the heart rate monitor would even work if one’s anatomy dictates that the strap can’t go around the upper rib cage. But that’s a design issue not limited to this particular heart rate monitor, I’ll wager. I was also a little surprised at the size of the wrist strap; I’m about average in bone and I had to cinch the watch down to the very last notch to keep it from fitting like a bangle; I looked a few times to make sure I didn’t have a men’s version by mistake. Smaller women might not be able to tighten the strap enough.
Just writing this review has re-sparked my heart rate curiosity again, so maybe I’ll give the tech life a try again now that it’s bike season. Let’s hope no bears are involved…
